DXDDP Issues

[mefordis]

Sometimes experience is the only teacher. I researched and crunched numbers for hours and hours. However, all the research could not tell me that I would NOT be that hungry for whatever reason to consume that much food. I thought I was a bigger pig than I am, I guess.

First off- I am sorry for how stressful this all was for you.

However, I have to say that had you done some research before you left you could have avoided all of these problems. Menus are available on allears.net and wdwinfo.com. In addition, there is 1 sticky with all of the info on the dining plan and kids rules. It takes about 5 minutes to read.

I realize that this must have been terrible for you and that many others have been in your boat. However, I think things like this happen due to lack of research.

My suggestion is to research on these boards for the next trip.

 

[racefanof88]

I think maybe she could have if she had tried somewhere else? I know we had 2 adult, 1 child in one room, then 1 adult in the other room. We often just put 3 adults and 1 child on the same card and no one questioned it. They were like, "Sure!"

When we were there in May we had 2 rooms and we had to give them a ticket from both rooms. We asked if they could just pool them all together on one ticket and we were told no because the way the rooms were split(3 adults and one child on one ticket and one adult on the other).

Now I know what opinions are like but here is mine . If I pay for 10 meals for my trip and I want to eat all ten at one time then it isn't costing Disney anymore money. And, if I want to give my child(whom I also payed for the ddp) some of my food then still Disney losses no money because they have the monies I payed for my childs plan. I will then have to pay for the rest of my meals oop, so no loss to Disney IMO. I may want a chicken breast and steak at one sitting and if I am a glutten enough to eat that much then so be it, I payed for it when I bought the plan. Now there is no way I could eat that, but that is just my opinion.

I understand why Disney has the rules they have, so I can't have my friends come eat at my table and not have to pay, but we are talking about a child that has already paid. I can spend all my CS or snack credits at one time if that is how I want but, not my TS?

Oh well, this is why we will not do the ddp again. I would just rather pay oop eat where I want, when I want, and what I want. Just my opinion.........

 

[bluwater]

anywho, anyone on here knows if you are going to wdw make your adr's!! you especially should have known/thought about that if you were doing the dxdp. .

You started your post with "I have not read all the replies", which is obvious.

You really should read everything (as is your own advice to me, right?) before you engage in rather aggressive advice-giving.

If you had read my posts on this very thread, you would have read that I had ADRs for every meal....and had a back-up menu, sorted into an excel workbook, tabbed by Child, Adult ,Lunch, Dinner....with prices and full menus that I copied from another website. You also would have read that I downloaded the menu to my Blackberry and also set calendar reminders for all of my ADRs. I also planned my park days around my ADRs, and vice-versa. Shoud I have planned more than that? Perhaps I should have booked multiple ADRs for each meal period, at all times of the day, so that I'd have one whenever I was hungry. Now THAT would be planning!

I did the dxddp last time and I feel like we wasted our money as well. My dd (4) likes calamari and things like that as well. But the waste lies in all that food you've purchased and if you find yourself not to be hungry enough to devour it all -- it's already paid for! We wasted a lot of food and some credits ($$$) before we left, for sure.

I will take my $900 or so dollars next time, stick it in an envelope, and pay for food from that. I'll probably have at least $200 left at the end of it all.

Thank you for sharing that you, too, felt the same way. Even if my meals had been CS, I just wouldn't have eaten THAT much while we were there. Maybe some people can. I could not. Someone else I know said that it might had been the heat - that people eat less when they are really hot. I did come home and find that I'd lost weight while there. It was very hot - which,as I NOW know, is not the time to sit down for 3 big meals per day. And, like I said earlier, for me, the food wasn't that appealing. To each is own. To those who go to WDW and just want to eat, you are lucky. You can satisfy your palate with a fairly cheap meal plan and get your money's worth. It didn't work for me - and wouldn't have even if I had read the fine print 100X.

I understand why Disney has the rules they have, so I can't have my friends come eat at my table and not have to pay, but we are talking about a child that has already paid. I can spend all my CS or snack credits at one time if that is how I want but, not my TS?

Yep!

Well, I am with the OP on the fact that I also did NOT know **even after receiving the DLXDP brochure in the mail, thoroughly reading it, and even following up the DLXDP info on these boards** it was a DP rule that we were not allowed to use 2 separate TS dinner sittings within one meal period.

You got a brochure in the mail?? Was I supposed to get one? I did not get a brochure until i was standing at the check-in desk at the resort.


And, to clarify a question that has surfaced a few times. At the restaurant where I was told I could not use one of my pre-paid credits on my own daughter, who is also on the plan....I asked......

"so, if I order my adult meal and eat it, then walk out an walk back into this or another restaurant - and order another adult meal for ME and allow my daughter to eat from my plate, is that allowed"? And I was told NO. I was told that I, personally, would not be able to buy myself more than ONE meal per meal period -at any given restaurant. This is the part that feels restrictive to me.

Would anyone care to quote from the meal plan "fine print" about this - so we can all understand the rules?

 

[srdipert]

I booked the deluxe plan for some of the reasons you disliked. I know that my ds who is 7 will not be really happy with the kids meals even at some TS meals although many of the signatures that we are doing do have choices he will like. So I booked the deluxe so that we will have too much food so sharing with him and our child under the age of 3 will not be a problem. I think I could probably eat three meals a day when i have to share them with 2 other people but we are only doing two meals a day and sometimes they are buffets so I will not have to share.

The kids meal dilemma really isn't a fault of the DDP or the Deluxe Plan it is a fault in Disney dining in general for parents that have children with more expensive taste. I can say that paying OOP I would not order my 7yr old a 30$ steak even though that is what he would want...we would still be sharing DDP or not. That is why we chose the deluxe plan so with the apps we will have more to share with the table.

I know you said that sharing was restrictive b/c of your child's braces. I didn't find that haivng braces really restricted the foods that I could eat maybe I wasn't as careful as I should have been but most foods I could just cut up or off the cob in corn for example.

 

[jilliemom]

Again, I feel bad for the OP. Doing research can help, but it seems like they got railroaded from every direction, and possibly from less than knowledgable CMs. Doing two dinners in one night is not a deal-breaker if we can't do it. However, I would like a definitive answer. It's the same when someone says they got a milkshake as a beverage during their meal and were then allowed to get a dessert as well. Meanwhile, others say they could not.

I believe we could all benefit from a modicum of consistency, and it shouldn't depend on which CM you ask. I trust the people on these boards, their advice and experiences more than I do any employee at Disney.

Are you on the regular DDP or the Deluxe? I haven't researched the Deluxe too much b/c I can't see us sitting for 3 TS's a day, but I am SURE that on the DDP you can have dinner at 5:00 and then go have dinner again at 10:00 if you want. You have as many credits as nights you are staying and you can use them up all in 1 day if you want. The only restriction is is that it can't be used all in one sitting ( and as others found out, you can't share them). Hope this clears things for you Raglan Rd dinner!

 

[inkedupmomma]

You started your post with "I have not read all the replies", which is obvious.

You really should read everything (as is your own advice to me, right?) before you engage in rather aggressive advice-giving.

If you had read my posts on this very thread, you would have read that I had ADRs for every meal....and had a back-up menu, sorted into an excel workbook, tabbed by Child, Adult ,Lunch, Dinner....with prices and full menus that I copied from another website. You also would have read that I downloaded the menu to my Blackberry and also set calendar reminders for all of my ADRs. I also planned my park days around my ADRs, and vice-versa. Shoud I have planned more than that? Perhaps I should have booked multiple ADRs for each meal period, at all times of the day, so that I'd have one whenever I was hungry. Now THAT would be planning!



Honestly, I was not being aggressive. sorry if you took it that way.although if i remember correctly i said in my op that i wasn't being snarky...

My whole point that i was trying to get at is, idk what the big surprises were?? you've posted on these boards, numerous times. you've said yourself you have done research. so what was the big surprise on how restricting it was?? Planning a normal everyday life with 3 meals, heck even 2 meals out at a restaurant is restricting, so obviously it would be even worse once you throw Disney into the mix. I get what you are saying about it and see that it obviously wasn't the plan for you and your dd. But I don't think you have a right to be mad at anyone but yourself and the choices you made. The average person would not know better. but you did because of these boards. all I hear is a whole lot of back-peddling and excuses. What you have staed went wrong was very obvious things, not fine print kinda stuff.

Whatever man, it is what it is. at least you know for next and perhaps informed(maybe not in the best way) some people who didn't know these things already.

 

[skater]

I guess I didn't realize how lucky we were last year. We had one extra adult TS credit (I was sick at CP and the server didn't charge us for my meal). Later in our trip, I asked the server at LTT if my DS9 could use the extra adult credit and she said yes. It was a wonderful treat for him to finally be able to order off the adult menu (he's a big eater with fancy tastes ). It never even crossed my mind that it could be a problem. Sounds a little stingy to me.

 

[inkedupmomma]

I guess I didn't realize how lucky we were last year. We had one extra adult TS credit (I was sick at CP and the server didn't charge us for my meal). Later in our trip, I asked the server at LTT if my DS9 could use the extra adult credit and she said yes. It was a wonderful treat for him to finally be able to order off the adult menu (he's a big eater with fancy tastes ). It never even crossed my mind that it could be a problem. Sounds a little stingy to me.

In a perfect world (or logical one really) one should be able to use the credits as they see fit. but disney can get really screwed by letting this happen. you know know screwed as in the president may not get his 1987654,9870000 bonus at xmas , it could cause problems for people who are less than honest. no but seriously. I think if it is your child then heck yes they should let you order that meal for them, but what if someone orders it and says it's for their child then gives it to their adult friend at the table?? technically disney would be out that money (not that the op was trying to do that, i'm just giving an example) Like someone else said, the reason the dxdp is such a good option for the parent of a child who eats fancier is all the food you can share. imho if it were me and my dd my meal and an app and a dessert would be plenty to share with her. without even ordering the child meal. the plan is all about being able to figure it out. luckily i have all of you and was able to figure out that the dxdp is whats going to be best for us *this time around*. If i go on a trip later with just dd, no the dxdp prolly wouldn't be best.

 

[Lehuaann]

You got a brochure in the mail?? Was I supposed to get one? I did not get a brochure until i was standing at the check-in desk at the resort.

Yes, this year Disney sent me an enveloped welcome packet with DLXDP brochure card, resort map, and planning checklist. I did not receive a welcome packet last year.

And, to clarify a question that has surfaced a few times. At the restaurant where I was told I could not use one of my pre-paid credits on my own daughter, who is also on the plan....I asked......

"so, if I order my adult meal and eat it, then walk out an walk back into this or another restaurant - and order another adult meal for ME and allow my daughter to eat from my plate, is that allowed"? And I was told NO.

They are correct. No transferring credits and no sharing meals between adults/children allowed. You can share with children under 3.

I was told that I, personally, would not be able to buy myself more than ONE meal per meal period -at any given restaurant. This is the part that feels restrictive to me.[/B]Would anyone care to quote from the meal plan "fine print" about this - so we can all understand the rules?

I believe you were given wrong info. I was told that meal credits/entitlements are flexible and can be used anytime (all in one day if I wished)...with no sharing of course.

Here is a partial of what the DLXDP brochure says:

Using Your Meals
e Use your meals and snacks in any order throughout your package stay until your total is depleted.
e For example, on the day of arrival, a party with 2 Guests ages 10+ and 2 Guests ages 3-9 could use a total of 8 meals (4 for Guests ages 10+ and 4 for Guests ages 3-9). On Day 2, the party could use a total of 12 meals (6 for Guests ages 10+ and 6 for Guests ages 3-9), and 8 Snacks (4 for Guests ages 10+ and 4 for Guests ages 3-9). You can continue using meals/snacks for the rest of your package stay until each person has depleted his/her allotted meals/snacks.

Q. Can Guests ages 3-9 order anything off the menu?
A. No, Guests ages 3-9 must order from a children’s menu, where available. Many children’s menus offer healthy options in addition to kid favorites. The Disney Dining Plan is unavailable for Guests under the age of 3, but they may share from an adult plate at no charge or purchase a meal from the menu.
Q. Can Guests ages 10+ use Guests ages 3-9 meal entitlements?
A. Sorry, meal entitlements can not be shared between Guests ages 10+ and Guests ages 3-9.
Q. Can I use my Disney Dining Plan to redeem meals for friends or family members who are not included in my reservation and have not purchased this plan.
A. Sorry, you may not use your Disney Dining Plan to redeem meals for friends or family members who are not included in your reservation and have not purchased this plan.

 

[septbaby]

Semantics have you in a pinch: food can be shared between those on the same DP reservation. However, gving an adult credit to a child isn't allowed or vice versa. If I want a kids meal I can order it but I'll pay for it with an adult credit, not a child. I can't use a child credit because I'm ordering a child meal. However, if I order an adult meal and my child orders a child meal we can share.

 

[pilferk]

And, to clarify a question that has surfaced a few times. At the restaurant where I was told I could not use one of my pre-paid credits on my own daughter, who is also on the plan....I asked......

"so, if I order my adult meal and eat it, then walk out an walk back into this or another restaurant - and order another adult meal for ME and allow my daughter to eat from my plate, is that allowed"? And I was told NO. I was told that I, personally, would not be able to buy myself more than ONE meal per meal period -at any given restaurant. This is the part that feels restrictive to me.

Would anyone care to quote from the meal plan "fine print" about this - so we can all understand the rules?

For that bolded bit, there is no fine print about it, because it's not a rule. It doesn't mention anything about "only being able to use one meal per meal period". The CM was either wrong (which I find likely) or you misunderstood. And, in fact, people have done it (including me).

Here's the 2008 dining plan brochures (regular and deluxe):

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...agespecific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08Dining.pdf

http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...cific/eng/nontheme/tickets/08DeluxeDining.pdf

Under the first section "Using your meals", you can see an example that, IMHO, shows that what the CM said was completely untrue.

However, the first bit, about using and adult credit for her, is talked about in the FAQ. It uses the reverse (adult using child credit) example, but the answer makes it clear: There's no sharing of adult and child credits between the two.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, I am with the OP on the fact that I also did NOT know **even after receiving the DLXDP brochure in the mail, thoroughly reading it, and even following up the DLXDP info on these boards** it was a DP rule that we were not allowed to use 2 separate TS dinner sittings within one meal period.

That would be because there is no such rule. The apparently applicable rules are "you cannot share dining credits with Guests not on the dining plan" and that at each MEAL(seating) each party can order only as many adult meals as one has adult credits and only as many child meals as one has child credits.

I asked......

"so, if I order my adult meal and eat it, then walk out an walk back into this or another restaurant - and order another adult meal for ME and allow my daughter to eat from my plate, is that allowed"? And I was told NO. I was told that I, personally, would not be able to buy myself more than ONE meal per meal period -at any given restaurant. This is the part that feels restrictive to me.

Just as the DIS does not advocate or endorse disseminating information that violates Disney's own rules - probably even moreso - Disney too prohibits providing such information. Since the manager knew your exact intention, telling you that your DDP/DXDDP use is restricted to one seating per meal period prevented any further discussion/argument on your part.

 

[bluwater]

Just as the DIS does not advocate or endorse disseminating information that violates Disney's own rules - probably even moreso - Disney too prohibits providing such information. Since the manager knew your exact intention, telling you that your DDP/DXDDP use is restricted to one seating per meal period prevented any further discussion/argument on your part.

My intention was to understand the use-policy of the plan. If the manager purposely misdirected me in response to my direct question, based on his belief of my intention, then Disney is guilty of fraud and theft by deception.

Disney's rules are balck and white. Any motive, on their part, to make a persumptive judgement about me (or anyone else) and then misdirect me (or anyone else) on the use of goods that I have purchased in order to maximize their profit is against every principle of good business -and is illegal.

I'd much rather believe that the CM just gave me bad info because he believed he was correct. I'm sure this is the case.

I'll let Disney answer for themselves. I'm sure Mr. Iger's office can explain.

 

[racefanof88]

My intention was to understand the use-policy of the plan. If the manager purposely misdirected me in response to my direct question, based on his belief of my intention, then Disney is guilty of fraud and theft by deception.

Disney's rules are balck and white. Any motive, on their part, to make a persumptive judgement about me (or anyone else) and then misdirect me (or anyone else) on the use of goods that I have purchased in order to maximize their profit is against every principle of good business -and is illegal.

I'd much rather believe that the CM just gave me bad info because he believed he was correct. I'm sure this is the case.

I'll let Disney answer for themselves. I'm sure Mr. Iger's office can explain.

I like your style..........

 

[mom2my3kids]

This is why we won't do the dining plan, we eat when we want what we want. But I agree with Disney, you pay kids price you get kids meal.

 

[NMW]

This is why we won't do the dining plan, we eat when we want what we want. But I agree with Disney, you pay kids price you get kids meal.

You are 100% right. Pay for a kids meal, get a kids meal-period. All of the OP's problems (with the exception of cancelling ADR's and then being dissapointed that she couldn't get new ones) would have been solved if she had simply purchased the adult plan for her child.

 

[drakes]

The Deluxe plan didn't have TS or CS credits, it had meal credits. You may have preferred to think of them as TS so you didn't want to use them at CS places, but you spent OOP when you had other currency available. Eating a $30 TS Dinner, $23 Character bfast buffet, $13 CS meal and $6 in snacks adds up to more thand $70 for the day. You don't have to get 3TS meals to make the plan worth it.

I couldn't agree more! After a fair bit of time of research (yes I do the math, yes I plan a year out, and yes I look at the menu - with the total travel bill over $5000, I would expect to plan as such). After this "exhaustive" research we have learnt our total bill for a day's food outweighs the total family cost for the DxDP. The days we eat at CS balances out the day. One adult and One child on the DxDP equals approximately $93.00. A day's worth of food including a variety of buffets, CS, and TS including the snacks (remember drinks, dessert etc all add up if paid OOP) equates to $110- $150 or more depending on the days menu plan. So not only does it economically work, but it also allows you to guarantee some experiences you may not be able to just "happen upon".

It may ruin the "spontaniety" of the vacation, but we're not at WDW to relax on the beach and do nothing, we are there for the experience, and most of that experience include unforgettable character meals, and "cuisine" we would otherwise not experience.

I say this simply to reflect a fair representation on the dining plan for those that can make it work and make it work to improve their trip to the world!

 

[crazykids]

We used the DXDP on our last trip & loved it! I am a planner & I love having reservations for every meal. It gives us great breaks during the day and I don't have to worry about getting a seat somewhere last minute. We usually eat at the same time everyday at home, so I know when my family will be hungry. If you space the meals out far enough apart & don't intentionally stuff yourself at every meal, 3 TS is not too much food. We eat 3 meals a day at home, why should this change on vacation? You can not order more than what is listed on your dining card at a particular seating, but you can use your credits whenever you want. If you eat at a TS, finish up & then go to a CS right after, you will be able to use your credits. I find that the plan is very easy to understand & I also find that it's a great deal for our family. The only thing I end up having left over credit for is for snacks & I just get a bunch of things to bring home. Makes for great suprises when the kids open up their lunch boxes & find snacks from WDW!

Everyone has their own opinion & for us, the DXDP works very well!

 

[eam]

My family and I have a fun, activity filled vacation planned at WDW. We are on the Deluxe DDP. How do we do it? We scheduled breakfast TS and Signature TS meals (with snacks in between). Or an early lunch TS and a late dinner TS. Remember, for a 6 night stay you can still use your credits until midnight of your check-out day. So you can plan for 7 days worth of meals for a 6 night stay.

 

[MonicaInFlorida]

All of the OP's problems (with the exception of cancelling ADR's and then being dissapointed that she couldn't get new ones) would have been solved if she had simply purchased the adult plan for her child.

Are you allowed to pay for an adult dining plan for a child, even if the child is under 10?

For some reason, I thought that was verboten.

I'm just curious... seems like that would be a nice option for families whose kids have more sophisticated palates or bigger appetites.